Expectations of Love
by TheQueenV
Summary: Tommy meets a new employee after regaining control of his life. Will she make him lose it once more when her past unexpectedly becomes uncovered?
1. The End of the Beginning

_**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Tommy Vercetti, nor any other characters in GTA: Vice City. Nor am I making any profit out of doing this._

Tommy Vercetti owns all of Vice City. Getting all of his businesses back in properly running order, he meets with a new employee, and gets a little more than what he expected.

Natalia Ramirez moves from the big city in hopes of starting a fresh, new, simple life. What she gets is something a little than she bargained for.

Chapter One: The End of the Beginning

Tommy sat at the bottom of the stairs, gun in hand. The last of the battle was over. He had killed Forelli. Sonny, his mentor, his livelihood, his way in, and his way out... dead. Tommy raised his gun once more at the sound of a moving body.

"Tommy?"

Tommy's reflexes relaxed as he saw his nervous, bumbling lawyer stand up and shuffle over towards him.

"Oh my God, Tommy! What happened?"

"What does it look like?"

"It looks like you ruined your suit! And Tommy, that was a beautiful suit! Tommy, what on Earth happened?"

Tommy waved his hand up. "I had a disagreement with a business associate." He moved a hand upward to his lawyer. "You know how it is."

"Tommy, I have a disagreement, I send them an angry letter. Maybe I pee in their mailbox," he added casually. "I don't start World War III." He paced between the front door and Tommy. "You know, maybe you should speak to my shrink."

"That stupid prick Lance," Tommy said absentmindedly.

"Tommy, I never liked that guy, okay?" the lawyer agreed. "He's neurotic, he's insecure, he's self-centered – the guy's an asshole! I'm glad you took him out!"

Tommy shook himself out of the disbelief of betrayal.

"I don't think we're going to be getting anymore heat from up North either..." Tommy stood, his body sore from the brutal battle. "... 'cause there ain't no 'Up North' anymore." He made a slicing motion with his hand to his throat. "It's all down south now."

"Wait," the lawyer said, thinking deeply. "Does that mean what I think it means?" His face brightened when he saw Tommy nod. "Tommy, baby!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"What do you think it means?" Tommy asked, slinging his gun over his shoulder and walking towards the door.

"That we're in charge... I mean, that _you're_ in charge," he corrected after seeing the face Tommy shot his way. "Oh, Tommy!"

"You know, Ken," he said, swinging his arm over his happy lawyer's shoulders. "I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful business relationship... After all, you're a conniving, backstabbing, two-bit thief, and I'm a convicted, psychotic killer and drug dealer."

"I know. Ain't it just beautiful?"

The two walked outside of the Vercetti Mansion, nodding their heads at each other.

"First things first, though," Tommy said, walking his lawyer over to his white Admiral. "We need to get everything back in running order. Go to your office and sort everything out. Be back here by nine tomorrow morning."

With Ken now out his hair for a bit, Tommy stepped into his own car, and proceeded to go to his printing press. When he arrived, he was greeted by his long time family friend.

"Mr. Vercetti, the secretary spot was applied for by some girl."

"What girl?" Tommy inquired, as he shuffled through the seemingly endless papers on the office desk.

"By a Miss Natalia Ramirez."

Tommy's hand landed on her file, and he picked it up, looking over her documents. "Huh, worked as a secretary at the Liberty City University? Interesting." He set her file down, and looked over to the old man. "Well, Mr. Carrington, as soon as she straightens out this mess," he said waving his arms over the piles of papers, "send her over to the estate. I'd like to see what she can really do."

The old man nodded, and went about to clean the old machines.


	2. New Employment

Chapter Two: New Employment

Natalia woke up bright and early the next morning. After taking a shower and applying her makeup to perfection, she twisted her hair up in a simple bun, and went off to the kitchen. Looking over her appointments that were sitting on the counter, she quickly scanned over her day.

"Finally settled in, and there's not much to do today." She placed her papers in a bag and went out to her car. It took a few minutes for it to start, and she sighed hopelessly as she attempted to turn the engine one last time. To her relief, it started, and she was off to the Printworks.

She parked her car, and approached the dingy yellow building. Entering a side door, she was greeted by men in white pants and blue Island print shirts.

"Who're you?" one of the men asked.

"Natalia Ramirez. I came for the job interview."

"Hey! Back away! Don't scare her!"

Natalia saw an old man in a brown work suit, rushing their way. He waved an old cane in the men's face. "Go on, get outta here! And don't let me tell Tommy!"

_Tommy?_ Natalia thought to herself. _No, it couldn't be... Not him._ It couldn't have been the man she thought of.

"Now," the old man turned towards her. "You've come for the job?"

"Yes, I was scheduled for an interview?"

"Ah," he waved, "don't mind. You're hired. Mr. Vercetti has already asked for your presence at his estate." He lead her over to an office in which papers were strewn about over multiple desks. "As soon as you finish cleaning up this mess here," he chuckled. Natalia could see is worn face crease with wrinkles as he smiled. She couldn't help but let out a small laugh herself.

"My, my, my... This is a mess indeed." She stepped over to the biggest desk, and started to stack papers neatly. "I might need a thing or two to get me started."

"Anything you need, at your command." The old man disappeared into the hallway for a moment, then came back with 3 of the men in blue Island print shirts. "These goof balls are at your beck and call. Anything, you hear me, anything! Just tell them, and they shall receive." He walked up closer to her. "And anything else that they can't do, just call on me, and I'll be here in a flash."

He smiled heartily at her, and she returned the same warm smile. After he had left out the door, she plopped down in the grand chair after sliding off her suit's jacket, and carried on with her work.

"Mr. Rosenberg," a man in dark blue jeans and a white ribbed shirt stated flatly as he stepped into Tommy's office. Tommy lifted his head to see his lawyer strut into his office.

"Tommy, everything seems to be back in order." Ken wiped his nose on his sleeve.

Tommy sighed, and closed the folder he was looking through. "Take a break from that stuff, will ya?" he said as Ken sat down in a chair in front of Tommy's desk. "Anyway, I've looked into hiring a secretary. She's at the Printworks now with Mr. Carrington. I've requested she come here immediately after completely her tasks there."

Ken looked at the papers on Tommy's desk. His eyes wondered to a picture of Mercedes that was placed in the corner of the desk.

"She? Don't you think Mercedes will be disappointed?" he asked.

"Why would she be?"

"Hey, I'm just saying, I thought there was a little something going on between you two."

"Well, there's not," Tommy said, leaning back in his chair. "Me and Mercedes are just good friends. Nothing more, nothing less. I wouldn't want to complicate things." He looked out of the bay window out to the docks. "Besides, she doesn't want what I want in life."

"What do you mean?" Ken asked, not so much concerned as he really sounded.

"I mean, she's just..." He paused and turned back to face Ken. "Just so wild. Not saying it's a bad thing, but I always thought I'd have something more."

"Oh, Tommy. Don't tell me you've gone soft on me here."

Ken ranted on as Tommy glanced at the picture of Mercedes. He dare not tell anyone what he really desired out of life. Not even to his trusted lawyer. It was the kind of thing he felt only that one special person would ever give to him. No amount of deals would ever fulfill the void within him. That void yearning for something more than money could ever buy.

Tommy looked down at his watch, then rubbed his hand over his face. Ken was still going on as Tommy stood up and walked out of the office.

"Tommy? Where – ?"

"Go over and get Ms. Ramirez. I'll be waiting out back."

Ken obliged and headed his way over to the Printworks.

Natalia heard screeching out front of the building. Getting up from her nearly completed work, she looked out of a window. A man in a light purple suit stepped out of a white Admiral. Her face dropped when she had saw he had smashed into the side of her car. She flew out of the office and down the hall and down the stairs to confront this man.

"Ah, Mr. Carrington. Always nice to see you." He shook the old man's hand. "Is the new girl – "

"How dare you?!" Natalia screamed at Ken. "You hit my car! And think nothing of it! I outta beat your ass – "

Ken dodged out of the way of her swing. Mr. Carrington had grabbed her up by the waist, pulling her away from Ken.

"Settle down now, Natalia," he said. "I'm sure we can get it fixed."

Natalia placed her hand on her forehead and paced back and forth. _With what money?_ she thought. _I've just barely made it here._

Ken had readjusted himself, wiping the sweat that had formed off his face. "Feisty little one, ain't she?" He cowered once more when he saw her glare at him. "Hey, hey, Ms. Ramirez. Come with me. Tommy wants to speak with you."

"Who is Tommy? And what does he want? I'm still working."

"Tommy," Mr. Carrington started, "is our boss. The man of it all." He went up to Natalia and placed his hands on her shoulders, just barely reaching with his short stature. "I believe he wants to speak business with you. Seeing the good job you've done here, I would not be so surprised if he asked for you to work with him side by side."

Her face seemed to lift of worries. _A promotion? On the first day?_ Mr. Carrington had let his arms back down, hooking his arm into Natalia's. He then faced Ken with a stern look.

"Listen here, you. You make sure this girl is well taken care of while in your hands. If I find out that she received one tiny scratch while with you, I'll run you through these machines," the old man spat out at Ken.

Ken jumped back some, then proceeded on outside to his car, mumbling something. Natalia mouthed 'Thank you' to Mr. Carrington, and followed Ken to the car.


	3. The New Girl In Town

Chapter Three: The New Girl In Town

Tommy was out by the pool, when he saw Ken appear with a female following closely behind. As they approached, he looked past Ken easily to study the new girl. Her curvy figure was hugged by a pin striped skirt, and a black button down shirt. She held the matching jacket in her arms. He looked down to her feet and saw she wore pin striped cone heels with an open toe. Her toenails were pained a vibrant lime green, and his eyes quickly traveled back up from her toes to her legs. Her wonderfully long, satin smooth legs. Images overcame his mind, and were only interrupted by Ken blocking light source, and he scowled at Ken.

"Tommy!" Ken said cheerfully. "Tommy, this, is our new girl, Natalia Ramirez!"

Tommy stood from his lounge chair to greet her. He couldn't help but stare into her deep brown eyes, and his gaze wondered down to her full lips, and even down a little further to her ample bosom. She cleared her throat, and extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Vercetti."

"Hi," he stammered out, shaking her hand.

"Tommy, can you believe it! Tommy, I saw the organization this girl does, and woo! Is she a trip. Tommy, she could have everything in order, and I mean everything, within a matter of just days." Ken sat down where Tommy was previously sitting, ranting some more while he started to sip on a fruit drink provided by one of Tommy's servants.

Natalia looked at Ken, while Tommy was deciding how to make a smooth move.

"Why don't we go take a walk?" he said to Natalia, which broke her stare at Ken.

"Uh, sure," she agreed, then turned on her heel as Tommy passed her.

They started to walk down to the boat dock, and Natalia took in the beautiful sights.

"Wow, you just don't see this in Liberty City," she said lightly as they walked.

"I saw that you worked in Liberty." She nodded. "For how long?"

"A few years. It wasn't an extraordinary job. Just something I did to keep up supporting myself. You know, in a school where everyone wanted to be, it did get kind of crazy at times."

"Yeah," Tommy chuckled. "I can only imagine. What, uh, what did you do there?"

"Well, I was the one who kept track of all the enrollments and drop outs."

"Bet there was more drop outs than enrollments," Tommy said, smiling. His heart warmed as she smiled back, flashing her pearly white perfect teeth. He cleared his throat trying to concentrate. "So, uh, you new here?"

"Yeah, I just flew into town a few weeks ago. I've been surviving on the little bit of money I had saved up. When my funds finally ran out, I applied for the first job I came across."

"Lucky me then," Tommy said, smiling once more. They were at the edge of the boat dock, when Natalia pulled off her shoes, and held the back of her skirt in place as she sat down. Her feet emerged into the cool water. She looked up at him.

"Sit." She patted the warm cement next to her. He did, sitting Indian style, next to her. They talked until the sun was going down, neither one of them paying any mind to the time. "So, Mr. Vercetti, I guess you just about run this town."

"You could say that, sure." A smile formed on his face, and she studied him intensely. He was very attractive, and had well defined features. He had a head full of straight, jet black hair, sideburns to match and had a scruffy shadow of a beard. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed him stand up at first. "Would you like something to eat?" he asked, holding his hand out in assistance to help her stand up.

She took his hand, stood and straightened herself out. "Well," she thought over, slipping her heels back on. "I suppose a snack would do me some good."

Tommy smiled, and lead her into the house where he asked his head chef to start to prepare a meal. They were standing at the kitchen island when Tommy turned to her and asked her what she felt like eating.

"Something light. It's been a long day, and when I get home, I just want to go right to sleep." She paused and thought for a moment. Her car. Her old, rust bucket car. That man had smashed into it. How was she to get home? "Oh, shoot!" she exclaimed as she stomped her foot into the marble flooring. Tommy looked at her, eyebrow raised.

"Something wrong?"

"My car. It's at the printing press. That man crashed into it."

Tommy looked around, then left out a sliding door to the backyard. It was silent for a moment, but Natalia soon heard the voice of Ken, and Tommy threw him on the kitchen floor. Ken appeared dumbfounded as he got up and brushed himself off.

"Apologize," Tommy ordered. Without even giving Ken a change to part his lips, he yelled out, "Apologize now!"

"Hey, I – I'm sorry. I – I didn't mean. You know, it was just a thing." Tommy pushed him out of their sight, and he went stumbling into a different room.

Natalia had sat on a stool at the kitchen island, and Tommy sat next to her, head in hands.

"I'm sorry, he can be a real moron sometimes."

"It's okay," Natalia reassured. "I just have to save to get another one. Not like that one was a prize or anything."

"Tell you what, why don't I give you an advanced pay?" Tommy offered.

"Oh, that's quite nice of you, Mr. Vercetti, but I don't think I can – "

"It will be my treat."

Plates of food had been placed in front of them. Natalia nibbled on hers, watching Tommy. She was fascinated by how he moved. And with every motion, she could _feel_ his exquisite scent. She had never been so taken over by a scent before in her life. She sensed he noticed her watching, so she looked down at her barely picked at plate.

"Mr. Vercetti – "

"Please, call me Tommy."

" … Tommy, I think I'll be on my way now. Thanks for dinner." She hastily grabbed up her suit jacket and walked away from Tommy toward the front doors faster than Tommy could take in.

_Is she serious?_ Tommy thought. _And why do I feel so compelled to her?_ He chased after her, just barely getting to her as she walked down the stairs outside. Even the clicks of her heels as she went down each step enticed him.

"Wait up," he called out. His hand lightly grasped her wrist, and she jerked back as if she had been electrically shocked. He felt her stare burn into his flesh. "I just wanted to let you know that you'll be doing work here tomorrow. I'm going to get one of my guys to take you home." He fought back the strong urge to plant a kiss on her lips.

She stared into him even more deeply. "Thank you, Mr. Verce – Tommy."

He watched her walk off with one of his men to a limo, and was entranced by her legs as she stepped in it. Regretfully, he watched the limo drive off with her in it. Somehow he knew... He knew she was the one.


	4. Safe Keepings

Chapter Four: Safe Keepings

Tommy woke up anxiously the next morning, knowing that he'd see Natalia again. Something about her had lit a fire deep within him. For once, after all the killing and death, he felt alive. Rubbing his hands over his face, he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He looked over his shoulder to the empty, untouched side of his bed. _What I wouldn't do to have her in it..._

He rubbed his hand over his face once more as he heard his phone ring. He answered it, already knowing who it was.

"What, Ken?"

"Tommy! Good morning, Tommy!" said Ken in a boisterous voice. "Listen, Tommy, I don't know what came over you last night."

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Never mind, listen, we have some issues to be tended to in Little Havana," continued Ken. "The Robina family has asked for you to go over to their cafe."

After hanging up, Tommy showered and dressed, then was on his way to Little Havana.

Natalia arrived at the Vercetti Estate. Stepping out of the taxi, she wore simple jeans and plain white T-shirt. Her hair was tossed up into a tight ponytail, and she wore no makeup. She handed the taxi driver some money, and made her way up the steps to the mansion. One of the guards that had been at the Printworks was standing at the top of the stairs.

"Hello there, Ms. Ramirez," the guard said politely.

She smiled at him. "Is Tommy here?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss," he said with a slight frown. "However, he will be back soon."

"Okay, thanks, Mario." She waved to the other guards standing there, and went up to the double doors of the mansion. She pulled one heavy door toward her, and slid her way through the opening. Wondering her way through the upstairs, she peered into every room she could find. Coming full circle back to the top of the grand staircase, she settled with going into what appeared to be Tommy's office. She had only been sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk for a few minutes before Tommy came into his office, reading some papers.

She looked up at him, watching him walk to his desk and sit down, all the while reading the piece of paper. When he finally put the paper down, he froze at her stare. He couldn't help but grin.

"Like me that much, huh?"

She gave a slight smile, then turned attention immediately on her work. "I see your office here is just as bad as the Printworks was."

Tommy looked around at the messy sight. "Uh, yeah," he chuckled. "I guess I kind of let it go."

"No problem. We can fix it."

They began to organize all of Tommy's files, and were almost finished when his office phone rang. He excused himself as he went to answer his phone.

"Is Natalia there?" a rough male voice asked.

Tommy became alerted. "Who is this?"

"Is Natalia there?" the voice asked again, ignoring Tommy's question.

"Are you going to tell me who this is?" Tommy asked, becoming slightly irritated. He waited, listening carefully, then the phone line went dead. He placed the receiver back on the hook, and sat down heavily in his office chair.

Natalia looked up from her work to ask him was was wrong.

"It was a man," he said blankly. "Asking for you."

Natalia stopped in her tracks, her throat becoming dry.

"What?" she asked swallowing hard.

"It was some man asking for you," Tommy repeated, as if she didn't really hear him.

She stared at the file she held in her hands. She must have been shaking, because Tommy placed his large hand over hers to steady it. Slowly, she looked up at him, then took her hand from underneath his, dropping the file.

"I – I'm sorry," she apologized, straightening up the scattered papers from the manila folder. Tommy took the folder from her fingers, setting it down, and held onto her hands. She stared at his hands.

"Who's after you?" he asked her in a soft voice.

She continued to stare down at his hands as she barely whispered out, "No one."

"Natalia..."

His voice, so sharp... So concerned. _Why? He barely knows me._ Her stare on his hands clasped over hers was broken by a knock on the office door.

"Mr. Vercetti, Mr. Rosenberg is on the line," the guard informed.

"I'll take it, thanks," Tommy said, then reached over to answer his phone once more.

Natalia studied her hands as though she had been injured by his touch. _Not again... Never again will I fall for this type of man._ Before Tommy hand the chance to hang up, Natalia had finished cleaning up all the loose papers, and had neatly put them in order in his filing cabinet. She noticed Tommy watching her intensely, even while being engaged in conversation on the phone. When she heard the phone cling down on the hook, she turned to Tommy with a smile on her face.

"All done. Is there anything else you'd like done?" She stood in front of his desk.

"Yes," he said with a hand up to his mouth. "Sit."

She complied, feeling like dead weight.

"Who is after you?" Tommy asked slowly once more.

She refused to lift her head as she spoke. "An ex of mine. I didn't want anything to do with him anymore. So, I left. I had no choice. He would have killed me." She looked up at Tommy with tears in her eyes. " I swear, I didn't know he would find out where I was. I thought I would finally get rid of him." She looked back down. "I swear." A tear trailed down her cheek.

Tommy took in a deep breath, thinking about the situation.

"Where's your house at?" he asked.

"Over near the shipping docks. Those apartments just before it. They were the only ones I could afford to get."

"We need to find you a safer place. Even though, the ship dock is my property, I'm not able to watch you at all times there."

She shook her head vigorously. "No," she stated boldly. "No, I couldn't. It's too much trouble. There's no need to involve anyone else into my mess. I'll deal with it myself." She stood to leave, when he quickly stood himself and held onto the sides of her arms.

"And what will you do? Run again?" he asked. She could feel his dark eye pierce into hers. As she continued to shake her head, he told her, "You can't keep running. You're to stay here, where it's safe. The guards will look out for you."

"No, Tommy. I can't."

"What other options do you have?"

"I don't know!" she cried out, snatching her body away from him. "But I can't put you in danger for my stupid mistakes."

He leaned against his desk, crossing his arms. "You think some wannabe tough guy will scare me? Trust me, he doesn't know what real danger is."

She backed away from Tommy until her back hit the door, and jumped when one of the guards knocked. Tommy had a small grin on his face as he answered it. The guard handed him mail, and Tommy gathered Natalia before him.

"Take her to my suite. Make sure she's comfortable. And get Richard on door watch."

The guard nodded, and Natalia followed him up two flights of stairs before seeing the entrance to Tommy's master bedroom. She couldn't stop her jaw from dropping as her eyes wondered around the majestic room. A massive king sized bed rested on a two step platform. Rich reds and burgundies coated the room, giving Natalia a cozy feeling. As she stepped up to touch the sheer curtains that surrounded the bed, she heard the doors click shut.

"NO!" she called out, going to the doors. After a while of pulling and tugging at the door's handle, she gave up, sliding down to the floor, and weeping.

Tommy finished checking all the security about a half an hour after sending Natalia to his room. Once he was done, he sprinted up to his room. Natalia heard the click of the door unlocking, and frantically stood up, nearly escaping through the open door as Tommy came in.

"Whoa, whoa." He pulled Natalia by her waist back into the room, then closed the door once more. "If I'm going to help you, I'm going to have to trust that you won't run back out to the wolves."

"No, I don't need your help... I don't need it," she cried, hitting his chest. Tears flooded her eyes, and she sank to the plush crimson carpet once more.

He crouched down beside her. "What do you need then?"

Her only response was to put her face in her hands and cry.

"Right," Tommy said, sitting down close to her, and wrapping his arms around her.

She placed her head into his chest. She felt safe in his arms, and she felt like she belonged there.


	5. Confessions

Chapter Five: Confessions

Natalia woke up the next morning to Tommy on the phone. She laid still with her eyes still closed, listening carefully.

"Look, I have her here," he said to the unknown voice on the other end. "Yeah, she's safe... I'll do all I can do, and I'll tell her you called."

She heard the phone click, and Tommy sigh. He looked behind him, then swung his legs back onto the bed.

"That was Stephanie," he said knowing Natalia was awake.

She shifted in the bed, laying on her side to face him. "Why are you helping me?" she asked in a quiet voice. Tommy looked into her soft face, getting lost in her pure beauty.

"What can I say?" Tommy said, stretching out his legs. "I'm a caring guy."

"That's not what I heard about you," she challenged.

"Oh?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "And what have you heard?"

She sat up in bed, pulling the thick, fluffy comforter around her waist. "That you killed not even thinking once. That you robbed, stole and took, not caring who got hurt..." She looked at him. "Or who you betrayed." Tommy moved in close to her.

"I was betrayed, and did time for something I didn't even do. So, save the pity stories." He stood from the bed, going into the bathroom. Natalia sighed when she heard the bathroom door shut.

_What are you doing, Natalia? Get a grip of yourself _ she thought. _This guy can't be any good either._ But she felt such a strong connection to him, without even really knowing him. Right now, he was just her overly friendly boss who felt sorry for her. After shaking herself out of deep thoughts, she noticed Tommy had placed a long pillow in between them last night. She ran her hand over the smooth, soft pillow, realizing that he meant her no harm. If he did, he would have done something by now. A powerful drug lord sharing a bed with a sleeping woman... There's no way she would have been safe if he meant her harm.

She got up out of bed, and started roaming around the room. Going over to an armoire, she opened the marble doors, and saw there was a big screen TV inside. She grabbed the remote that was next to it, flopped on the bed, laying on Tommy's side, and watched TV. She was startled when, after about twenty minutes of watching TV, Tommy stood between her and the talk show she was watching.

She looked up at him. "Yes?" she asked sweetly, raising both eyebrows at him. He grabbed the remote, turned the TV off, and pulled her up off the bed and pressed her body to his. "Tommy – " she began to protest.

"I was thinking... do you have feelings for me?" he asked, his dark hair still slick wet. She watched a drop of water run down the side of his face.

"I – I don't know. It's not a good idea."

"I didn't ask if it was a good idea. Do you have feelings for me?"

"Maybe – " Before she could finish, she felt his hot lips press against hers, and she could feel herself melt into him. Melt into this man she hadn't known for a week. Her eyes were still closed when he pulled away.

"I have to go tend to some business," he said, letting her go. "Make yourself at home."

When he left out the bedroom door, Natalia made an immediate jump to the phone.

"Steph?"

"Natalia, oh my God, you are okay! I was so worried. I mean, this Tommy fellow seems nice, but you know, you never know. How are you, sweets?"

"Stephanie, this guy... He has a magnetic hold over me. I've known him for like two days, and I'm completely taken with him."

Tommy was informed from one of the guards that she was on the phone with her best friend, Stephanie Mendez. He knew it was wrong, but he picked up the receiver in his office, and clicked to the line in his room.

"So, do you have a crush on this guy?" Stephanie asked. After a moment of pausing from Natalia, she said, "Oh my God, you do! Ha-ha! Sweets, I know you better than anyone. You can't hide anything from me!" she exclaimed.

"Steph, this guy, he's just like awesome. I can't explain it any other way."

"Is he like a Don, or something?"

"Mm, no, I don't think so. He's more like the big guy in charge here. I don't think he's so much the "Don" type."

"So," Stephanie began slyly. "Have you done anything?"

"About what?"

"You know, bump-de-bump? Hump-de-hump? Anything?"

Natalia's mouth dropped open. "Stephanie! I can't believe you'd ask that! Oh my God! No! No. Just no. Not yet, anyway," she said, and both girls laughed.

"Well, whatever you and Tommy do, be careful, and look out for yourself, babe." Stephanie was silent for a moment. "Listen, honey, I have to go to work now. It's already past ten. Call me later if you can. You know when I get in."

"Okay. Bye, Steph." They both gave their love to one another, and Natalia laid out on the bed, hands over her face.

_What do you mean you have a crush on him? You barely know him._ There was a knock at the door, startling her, but she went to open the door.

"Mr. Vercetti has asked for your presence in his office," the short man stated. Natalia followed him down to the second floor. Tommy was standing at the top of the steps, speaking with a dark haired Spanish man. She walked up, and stood next to Tommy.

"Ah, Tommy," the Spanish man said upon seeing Natalia. "This must be the lovely girl you spoke of."

"Yeah," Tommy said, smiling at her. "This is Natalia."

Natalia waved and smiled politely. Tommy motioned to her that he'd be right back. After seeing the handsome Spanish man to the door, he went back up to Natalia, placing his arm around her waist and going into his office, where they sat on the couch.

"Who was that?" she asked, adjusting herself as she was sitting on her leg.

"Colonel Juan Garcia Cortez. He's a good friend of mine," Tommy explained to her, as she fixed the collar on his shirt, straightening it and pressing it flat. "We helped each other out. But, I wanted to tell you that I cleared your apartment out. Your furniture is in the basement, and all your clothes are being delivered to my room."

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Your room? I don't get my own?"

"Why would you? You have a crush on me, right?"

Her mouth dropped. "You listened?! Thomas!" she said, her heart racing.

"I know all, babe."

"Well," she said, standing up, "then you know that I have to go up and take a shower now." She quickly exited his office, and disappeared to the upper floor where Tommy's suite was. Noticing her luggage, she opened it, taking out some clothes. She turned on the shower, stepped inside and immersed herself in the warm water, washing away all of her worries. She was safe now in Tommy's care, knowing that he'd never purposely let anything bad happen to her.

She cleansed herself, washed her hair, rinsed off and turned off the shower. After drying off, she grabbed one of Tommy's burgundy robes and put it on, tying it loosely around her waist. She stepped out into the bedroom, only to be surprised.

"So, you always look this sexy getting out of the shower?"

She laughed. "I doubt I look sexy. I haven't even brushed my hair out yet." She went over to her clothes which she had laid on the bed. He came up behind her, placing his hands firmly on her full hips. "Tommy," she started.

"What?" he asked in a low voice right next to her ear.

"Don't." She spun herself around, leaning back into the bed. He said nothing more, just stared into her eyes as she shifted herself away from him, escaping to the bathroom with her clothes in hand.

Back down in his office, Tommy sighed heavily. _Why did I do that? _he asked himself. _Way to scare her, Tommy, as if she wasn't scared enough._ A guard came to the office door, Ken behind him.

"Tommy, man, I tell ya, that girl has done wonders. The Printworks has never been better. Has never run smoother. You gotta put her to work on other buildings."

"She's staying here for a while, Ken. Her ex is out to get her."

"Her ex? Well, I'll tell you what, I'd be out to get her too."

Tommy scowled at Ken, and stood from his desk. "I think I need some fresh air." Ken followed him to the back yard, where food and drinks were always available. It was well into the evening when Tommy finally had enough of Ken's senseless babbling. "Don't you have some where to be, Ken?" he asked, annoyed.

"Oh!" he nearly yelled, jumping up out of his lounge chair. "You know, you're right. You're always right, Tommy. I was supposed to be there an hour ago." He ranted on some more as he left out of Tommy's sight.

Closing his eyes, Tommy relaxed in his chair, putting his arm over his face.

"Jeans and a dress shirt to the pool?" came a familiar female voice. "Tommy, I thought you had more sense than that."

"Mercedes," he said, sitting upright. "How are you today?"

"Oh, just fine. I was just stopping by to see how my favorite person was." She sat down in a chair next to him, and they started talking like they always did. Natalia came to the pool side, dressed in her bathing suit. She tried not to pay any attention to Tommy and Mercedes.

"Who's the beauty?" Mercedes whispered to Tommy as she saw Natalia step into the pool.

"That's Natalia. The girl I told your father about," his voice just as low as hers.

"Oh, well, nice to finally see her. Do I have a feeling that Mr. Tommy Vercetti might finally settle down now?" she grinned.

"It's possible. Very possible." He watched Mercedes look at her hot pink watch. "Have to go?"

"Always," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "Stay in touch." With that, she left, and Tommy put all his focus on Natalia, who was swimming around peacefully in the pool. The sun was setting, giving a warm glow to the outside.

Natalia noticed Tommy disappear back inside the mansion, and ten minutes later coming back out in his dark red swimming trunks. He took off his gold watch, tossing it on a patio table, and stepped into the pool. Natalia darted to the side of the pool when Tommy neared her.

"Isn't it a little late to swim?" he asked, kicking his legs up and floating on his back.

"Not if it's not too late to have your girlfriends come over. Had I known, I would have stayed in the room." She tensed as Tommy swam to her.

"Mercedes is not my girlfriend. She never has been. She's just a good friend," he defended rather quickly. He backed her against the side of the pool.

"Well, I'm pretty sure eventually I'll meet your other girls."

"I only have one girl," he said, pressing closer to her body.

"And who's that?" she asked.

His lips almost touched hers. "You." Before he could, she lip locked them, their tongues mingling. His hands roamed her body, stopping at her bathing suit top, removing the cloth that covered her breasts, tossing it to the side. She moaned as he broke the kiss to kiss down her neck, moving back up to her lips. He pressed his body against hers, and looked around. People were standing around, although he didn't notice any of them watching. "To the room," he quickly said, and they both lifted themselves out of the pool.

Natalia quickly ran to the room, her arms covering her bare chest. Tommy followed, barely a step behind her. Once inside the room, he slammed it shut, locking it, and they lip locked again. He backed her up to the bed, throwing her down onto it. He pulled down her bathing suit bottom, getting it from around her ankles, then tossed it, not caring where it landed. She sat up in the bed, slowly pulling down his bathing suit.

She took him slowly in her mouth, and after only minutes of feeling her heavenly mouth, he couldn't take it anymore. He rid of his shorts, and then laid over her in the bed, wedging himself between her legs. She moaned as he entered her, scratching at his back as he thrust inside of her, slowly, then faster and harder. As she ran her hands through his hair, his mouth found her nipples, sucking and licking. Their moments of release came together as they climaxed at the same time.

Hours later, they laid in bed, both spent after countless times of giving themselves to each other. She laid her head on his chest, her fingers rubbing on his skin. Tommy hugged her tightly.

"You do know that this means you're mine, right?" he asked, smiling.

She looked at him with the first content look on her face she had in a long time. "I think I own you too, Thomas Vercetti." She laid her head back down, falling asleep. Shortly after, Tommy did too.


	6. Agendas Unhidden

Chapter Six: Agendas Unhidden

"Tommy, I'm going to go straighten out that one cabinet." Natalia was smoothing out the last of the wrinkle in the comforter. Tommy emerged from the bathroom dressed in his boxers, holding a towel. "I'll be in the office." With that, she exited the room, and went down into the office. She grabbed a key from inside of Tommy's desk, unlocking the cabinet. It wasn't too unkempt, just some files that Tommy and his workers had tossed in there.

"Yeah, okay, I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Natalia looked up to see Tommy talking on the office phone. He was buttoning up his shirt as the phone conversation finished.

"Going out?" Natalia asked him, putting the final papers in their folders, and locking up the cabinet.

"Yeah, but I'll be back in an hour at the most." He stood in front her, bringing her body close to his. "I want you to stay here. Don't go wondering off the property because I'm not here. Guards will be here. Rich will watch after you."

"Tommy, you'll be back before noon. I won't go anywhere. I promise."

Tommy lowered his lips to hers, kissing her gently before leaving out of the office. Natalia watched him go down the staircase and out the front door. She sat back in Tommy's grand chair, absentmindedly swiveling around facing the security cameras. Her attention was shortly concentrated on two men standing to the side of Tommy's office doors, talking. Quietly, she stood, edging herself to the door and listened in.

"Look, all we do is go in and snatch her. Simple."

"I don't know, man," came an unsure voice. "Tommy will have us done in."

"We don't work for Tommy, stupid!" the other voice semi-shouted, then quieted himself once more. "Just go in and act casually. She'll think nothing of it. This is what boss asked us to do. If we don't go through, he's going to think we wanted a free vacation."

"Yeah, yeah... Okay..."

Natalia heard shuffling as the men prepared to walk into the office. _Natalia, get your wits about you..._ She quickly went to the desk, and pushed the button to call Richard.

"Rich, there's men here," she whispered to him as soon as he picked up his cell phone.

"On my way," he said without any hesitation.

The two men barely made it past the door when Richard stepped up to the door, blocking it.

"I don't believe the two of you had authority to step into Mr. Vercetti's office. I'm going to have to ask you to back away."

The two men became intimidated at Richard's tone of voice, not to mention his massive size, and did as they were told, quietly stepping away, and went clinkering down the staircase. Richard turned into the office and shut the double doors behind him. Natalia sank into the desk chair as he reassured her that the two men were indeed gone.

She sighed. "Rich, they were talking about taking me."

"Don't worry your pretty little face, Miss Ramirez. Mr. Vercetti will handle everything."

Just then, the office phone rang, and Richard reached to answer it.

"Vercetti Estate. What can I do for you?"

"Rich?" said a familiar calm voice. "What are you doing in my office? Is Natalia okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. There was just a little scare."

"What happened?"

"Those two dodo birds were talking."

Tommy knew who he was talking about instantly. "The two new guys. Yeah, I've had a bad vibe from them from the start. Maybe I'm right. I'm rarely ever wrong. Listen, Rich, stay with Natalia. I'm on my way back right now."

Richard placed down the receiver. Natalia looked at him with worried eyes.

"Mr. Vercetti is on his way back. He asked me to stay with you." Richard went to the television and turned it on. "Maybe it's best you relax some, Miss Natalia."

She took Richard's advice and stood from Tommy's chair, went over to the burgundy sofa, and stretched herself out in it. Before she could even really get into the show she was watching, Tommy walked through the office doors. He shook Richard's hand, thanking him, and dismissed him out of the office. Natalia sat up when Richard left, and Tommy shut the office doors. Sitting on a corner of the desk, Tommy focused in on her.

"What happened?" he asked, concentrating on her facial expression.

"Those two men were talking about taking me somewhere for their boss."

"Their boss, huh?" He twisted his body, grabbing for the phone. Natalia could hear him tell one of his men to get the two trespassers and deal with them. "Make sure they are cut off completely, you hear me?" She heard the man on the other end agree, and Tommy hung up. "I guess that their boss won't like that, but it has to be done." Tommy spoke more to himself than to her. "Do you think your ex is behind this?" he asked her.

"Possibly... He's the one who called."

Tommy ran his hand over his face. "Explain to me why he's after you."

"I know some secrets of his. Things he's done, plans he's had."

"No... No, he wants you. There's no way he would let you live if you knew things. He's after you for something else. What is it?"

"Well, I'm not really sure. I know that before I left for San Andreas, a plan of his botched and for some odd reason, he blamed me. I had nothing to do with it."

"Yeah, I know you didn't." Tommy went over to the couch and pulled her up into his arms. "Until I can find him, I don't want you leaving the estate without me or a guard. It's not safe."

"Tommy, I don't want to be someone you babysit."

"I'm protecting you. It's my job." He hugged her tightly, and they stood in bliss with each other until the phone rang. Tommy walked over to answer it.

"She'll be the next one to get it, Vercetti," the voice said, and Tommy heard a click than a dial tone. He slammed the phone down, startling Natalia. "That bastard's gonna get it!"


	7. Going Back

Chapter Seven: Going Back

The next morning, Natalia woke up to the sounds of tapping on a keyboard. She looked over to Tommy sitting at the computer.

"Tommy, what are you doing? It's so early in the morning."

"Just getting some information. I have to be out of here by seven for a business trip. But I should be back either later tonight, or tomorrow morning."

She sat up, propping herself up with her elbow. "Where are you going?"

"Florida mainlands. A business deal is going down. I need to be there."

She plopped back down into the plushy bed, covering her face from the direct sunlight that was beaming into the room. Damn early morning suns. After a while, the keyboard tapping stopped and she heard the shower come on. The sound of the shower running sent her back into a drift of sleep.

The sound of persistent rings woke her up once more. She turned over to Tommy's side of the bed, looking at the clock. Almost ten in the morning. She then climbed over to grab the phone.

"Hello?"

"Your sister has been missing."

Quite stunned, Natalia furrowed her eyebrows.

"What do you mean, Steph?"

"The other nurses say that they haven't seen her in a while. Neither have I."

"Well, how long is a while?"

"Two, three days. She's been scheduled to work all week, and she hasn't been in since Monday."

"Did she say she was going anywhere?"

"No. I'm sure she would have told me if I was. Nat, I'm worried."

"Yeah," Natalia said, thoughts swimming around in her head. "Me too."

Steph snapped her back into reality. "You don't think Nick... No. Couldn't. He wouldn't.... Would he?"

"I don't know the fact that we're thinking the same is a good or a bad thing. We've nearly come to the same conclusion."

"Yea, but you don't think he's that obsessed over you, do you?"

"It's possible. He's already called here."

"So Tommy knows?"

"Oh yeah. He's kept me under lock for a day or two now. He even moved my stuff from my apartment."

"I think that's just him wanting to get with you." Steph could sense Natalia's half-hearted smile. "Look, Nat, don't worry."

"I have to come back. I have to go back. I can't just leave her alone again."

"You can't, Nat. It's not safe."

"Steph, I can't abandon her again."

"We don't even know he has her for sure."

"Maybe so, but I don't want to find out the hard way if he does. Look for the next available plane flight from Vice City to Liberty for me. Order it, and I'll give you back the money when I get there." Her friend obliged and Natalia hung the phone up. Right as she took her jean bag and put a few clothes in it, Stephanie called her back.

"Tickets are ordered. For today at eleven."

"An hour? Geez, I thought I'd have more time. But okay, this is good. The sooner, the better. I've already packed a bag. Listen, keep an ear out for anything. I'll be there soon."

They hung up once again. Even though there was really no one else in sight, Natalia crept to Tommy's office, slowly opening the door, shutting it behind her. She grabbed a piece of paper from his desk drawer, then went to the safe that was placed snuggly between the couch and the wall. After using the combination on the paper and opening it, she counted out fifteen hundred and shoved it in her bag. She shut the safe, making sure it was secure, then made her way to the garage outside. She threw her bag into a white Sedan of Tommy's, stepping in herself as she looked around for signs of anyone around as she slowly drove off.

Tommy sat in his Tampa home, sorting through papers. "Boy, could I use Natalia here," he said absentmindedly to himself. One paper after another, he collected and placed into a large file cabinet. The deal had been a success, and Tommy just sat in his living room, going through every folder he pulled out. Natalia... Just saying her name made him long for her. He reached for the phone and dialed Richard.

"What do you mean she's no where to be found? Where did she go?" he asked after ten minutes of Richard not being able to find her.

"Mr. Vercetti, we've looked everywhere possible."

Tommy stood from the couch, pacing. "Alright, alright. She can't be far. I told her to stay on the property. Look, I'm coming back right now."

Tommy scanned every last corner of his mansion. He checked the basement. Her belongings were still there. Sprinting up the stairs, he met Richard.

"Are you sure she wasn't taken?"

"I'm positive. We would have been alerted somehow."

"This is mind boggling." He ran his hands through his hair.

"Hey, Mr. V. Look what we got here," guard Joe called out to Tommy. He pointed to the left-hand monitor on the security display. They all viewed Natalia opening the safe and taking out money.

"She's after your money, boss?" Richard asked.

"No, no she's not. She would have taken more than two grand if she was. All that money that's in there, and she only took that much."

"What now?"

"She went somewhere." Tommy sat in his over-sized chair, head in hands. "Or back to someone."


End file.
